Shadow over Tibet: Stories in Exile

The personal story of one Tibetan in exile in the United States, set against the background of the story of the Dalai Lama and the crisis of Chinese occupation. Narrated by Richard Gere.

Norbu Samphell is one of thousands of Tibetan refugees living in the United States. His family fled persecution by trekking across the Himalayas to India when he was six years old. Samphell and his family now live in Chicago, and remain determined to maintain their cultural heritage as they struggle to start a new life with the help of The Tibetan Resettlement Project.

“The question of Tibet is not a question of ideology or even of religion, but it is the question of the happiness and suffering of six million people.”—Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.

Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth Dalai Lama, the political and spiritual leader of Tibet. Since China’s invasion of Tibet in 1949, His Holiness has engaged in non-violent efforts to end Chinese occupation. Forced to escape into exile, Gyatso has lived in Northern India since 1959.

Through a combination of stunning stills, archival footage, and intimate interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan refugees, Shadow Over Tibet sheds light on the ongoing struggle of the Tibetan people to preserve their culture and regain their land from the Chinese.

“Nearly fifty years after Tibet was annexted by China, we in the west are only beginning to understand the magnitude of the loss.” –Penelope Mesic, Chicago Tribune